Wedderburn book > History

13 THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
Part I. edition of the " Dundee " or " Wedderburn Psalms," as they were called, has long been
Chap. I. f.jjg ou |y available edition of them, and Professor Mitchell, who is now (1897) about to
publish a new and critical edition of them, has, in his interesting lecture on " The
Wedderburns and their Work," summed up their influence on their time and their place in
the literature of their country. Of Mr. Maxwell's chapter I shall have more to say when
I come to deal with Robert Wedderburn's claim to the authorship of The Complaynt of
Scotland. At present I propose, for the sake of those who do not possess any edition of
the book itself, to give an account of the " Wedderburn Psalms."
Calderwood, as we have seen, attributes these exclusively to the second of the two
brothers. According to him, James was the dramatist and Robert the theologian, while it
was John who " translated mauie of Luther's dytements into Scotish nieeter, and the
Psalm.es of David " and " turned manie bawdie songs and rymes in godlie rynies."
Similarly, John Johnston, professor of S. Andrew's ("1593 — 1611), while he commemorates
all three brothers in one Latin sonnet, devotes another sonnet to John Wedderburn alone.
• Further, John, as Calderwood tells us, was an exile in Germany, whereas James made his
home in France, and Robert, though for a time in the east countries, succeeded in remaining
in Scotland ; so that it is natural that such, at any rate, of the Psalms as are clearly from
German originals, should be the work of the brother who had his home there. I
cannot, of course, give anything like a detailed account of the book in this place ; for that
those interested must consult the editions to which I have referred. The title page of the
edition of 1578, from which Mr. Laing reprinted in 1867, runs thus : —
" Aue / compendious buik / of godlie Psalmes and spirituall Sangis / collectit furthe of sindrie
partis of the / Scripture, with diverts vtheris Ballat- / tis changeit out of prophaue Sangis / in
godlie sangis, for auoyding of / sin and harlatrie. With aug- / mentation of sindrie gude / and
godlie Ballatis / not contenit in the / first editioun / (-}-) / Q. Imprentit at / Edinburgh be Johne
Ros / for Henrie Charteris / Ml). LXXVIII. / Cum priuilegio Regali." 1
The book opens, after the fashion of the time, with " Ane Almanack for ix yeiris,"
but this is an addition of the printer. Then follow six verses, entitled " The
Lamentation of a Sinner," which, again, are an editorial addition to the Wedderburn
Psalms. The Prologue is then given, and is no doubt from the pen of John Wedderburn.
It is as follows : —
" The Prologve.
" Pavle writand to the Coloss. in his thrid Chap, sayis, 'Let the word of God dwel in zow
plenteouslie in all wisdome ; teiching and exhorting zour awin selfis with Psalmes, & Hymnis, and
Spirituall sangis, quhilkis haue lufe to God &.fauoris his word.' We haue heir ane plane Text,
that the word of God incresses plenteouslie in vs, be singing of the Psalmes, and Spiritual sangis,
aud that specialise amang zoung personis, and sic as ar not exercisit in the Scriptures ; for they
wil soner consaue the trew words, nor quhen thay heir it sung in Latine, the quhilks they wait
not what it is. Bot quhen thay heir it sung in thair vulgar toung, or singis it thame selfis, with
sweit melodie then sal they lufe thair Lord God, with hart and nunde, and cause them tc put away
baudrie & vnclene sangis. Pray God. Amen."
period. One of these references is given in vol. ii of this book (D.B.R. 6 c) and refers to the son of
Robert Wedderburn and Janet Froster (see post chap, iv) ; the other I have not referred to in vol. ii,
but, since Mr. Maxwell gives it, I add it at the foot of this note. It is a tack of a house in the
Murraygait, granted by James (eldest son of old David Wedderburn in the Murraygait), who died
before Oct. 1524. Mr. Maxwell further identifies the slaughterer of Mnlisoun, already mentioned, not
with a son of James, but with James' brother Kobert, afterwards vicar of Dundee ; and falls into a
like error in making him one with a Robert Wedderburn named amongst certain burgesses of Dundee,
accused, though acquitted, of violence and sacrilege. (See also D.C. 24, where the name of Robert
Wedderburn should be added to those of David and Alexander.)
The tack above mentioned is as follows : — " It is appointit betwix James Wedderburn and Jok
Saidlear that James has set for five years all the east half land utouth (without) the port with
the part of the yard for xxvj s of maill And James sail ger big a wall betwix his part and Robert
Mason's part, and sail mak a door to the high gait, and mend the stair and the asiaments in the laud,
and what costs Jok maks at the right of James in any of the reparelling sail be allowit in his maills.
(D.B.R., vol. ii, fol. 72.)
1 There was au earlier edition in 1567, of which only one copy, in the possession of Mrs. Patrick Anderson,
Dundee, is known to exist. Mr. Laing gives John Wedderburn a share in the " Goostly Psalmes and
Spirituall Songes, &c," printed by Myles Coverdale, his fellow exile in Germany, about 1539-40.
Copies of the 8vo. editions (1600 and 1621) of the Gude and Godlie Ballatcs are in the British
Museum (press marks C. 39 D. 27 and C. 39 D. 63).